Day 4 of 365

I realize that some who peer in on this blog don't see what the big deal is about doing "nothing", every day, for 365 days. Fair enough, but if that is you, let me throw out a challenge. Let me teach you the practice, then lets see you meditate every day for even 30 days! Only then will you know how difficult an endurance challenge this really is. Not saying that to be prideful, just saying that only through direct experience will you know what makes this, indeed, an endurance challenge.

Some interesting points to consider:

• I assign my clients a meditation practice, along with their nutrition and workout assignments. Hands down, meditation is the assignment that gets missed the most.
• Recruits in BTWG are assigned weekly meditation sessions. Again, hands down, it is the number one missed, skipped, or "forgotten" assignment during the 12 week program.
• Though I was first introduced to meditation over 17 years ago, I still struggle with sitting on a regular, consistent basis!
  

It's interesting that the seemingly "easy" assignment or practice is the one that gets missed or neglected the most. Students will nail every interval session, every strength workout, and maintain flawless journals, yet miss nearly every meditation session!

What gives?

The reasons are many, the excuses are even greater, but at the end of the day it's because we are accustomed to "doing-ness" and "busy-ness". We are accustomed to stimulation, over-stimulation and action. We are accustomed to our minds being Lord and Ruler of our life and have a need to be in charge and in control. In meditation, we are relinquishing some of that control and that freaks some people out. We (our mind) prefer being a human-doing over a human-being.

Additionally, we are a culture who likes results, feedback, recognition, reward, and gratification - in the meditation realm, this stuff just doesn't fly. If you are looking for an "atta-boy!" after a session, it ain't gonna happen. If you are looking for a "good/bad" outcome, it ain't there. If you are looking for some sort of reward or gratification, again, you are barking up the wrong tree.

A handful of students will forsake the practice simply because they tend to sabotage themselves in just about every facet of their training and life - why should meditation be any different?

For others, stillness will bring up fear, stress and anxiety and since we already have plenty of that in our lives, why take precious time out of our day to add more!

There are also spiritual implications that go beyond the context of this post.

So, if you think doing a formal meditation session is no big deal, or a silly challenge, or if you are one of those skeptics/critics, accept my 30 day challenge!

Day 4 of 365 - Finally....?
Only 4 days in and already the ego rebels. "It's late, it's been a marathon day and all I want to do is go to bed!" The house was noisy and I was frustrated. Yeah, it was one of those kind of sessions. Yet at 11:40pm, I dragged my sorry butt to the meditation cushion and did "nothing"...